Basketball: Top trio headed to US colleges

Tai Wynyard in action for the Breakers. Photo / www.photosport.nz

Tai Wynyard, Matt Freeman and Sam Timmins may be the latest and perhaps highest profile of New Zealand's young basketball talent to head offshore, but they are far from alone in pursuing their hoop dreams in the American college system.

Hot on the heels of recent coverage highlighting the increasing number of leading young female players heading to the States, Wynyard heads to Kentucky University while Freeman and Timmins will be based at Oklahoma and Washington respectively in 2016, all earning scholarship opportunities after stellar junior careers in New Zealand.

In total that will bring to close to 100 the list of young male and female New Zealanders currently or prospectively continuing their educations and playing basketball in the American College System - and there may well be others that have ducked under the Basketball New Zealand radar in setting up their opportunity.

Chief executive Iain Potter says it is increasingly an option for young Kiwis to consider.
"The number of young basketballers considering their options in the United States is growing exponentially year upon year," Potter said.

"But importantly we are now seen as a nursery of young talent, with the American colleges actively scouting our systems for talented young people who might add to their basketball programmes. That reputation has been hard earned on the back of recent success stories, Steven Adams tops that list but there are others like Kirk Penney, Rob Loe and Isaac Fotu to name a few.

"The current list includes Stella Beck (St Mary's), Jacinta Beckley (Seattle), Tessa Boagni (California State), Penina Davidson (California Berkley), Tai Webster (Nebraska), Jack Salt (Virginia) and now Tai, Sam and Matt, at some of the most respected basketball programmes in the States."

Freeman, Wynyard and Timmins were all on the New Zealand under 18 team which won the Fiba 3X3 World Champs earlier this year. The captain of that team Nikau McCullough will also likely head to the States next year, highlighting the value of representing New Zealand at age group level in both 3X3 and full court basketball.

Wynyard spoke of his mix of nerves and excitement as he prepared to board the plane for the States after a junior career that has seen him in the last two years along play for NZ under 16, under 17 and under 19 teams; win a Fiba 3X3 World Championship and become the youngest ever Tall Black.

"I am really excited, it is crazy how fast things go by," he said. "Last year I was sitting thinking I don't even know what college I will be going to, it is crazy. What I notice is they don't perhaps play as physical as I am used to, that might be an area I can go in and help them, to bring my physical presence, to help them dominate games physically."

Wynyard spoke of his development in New Zealand with various New Zealand teams and the Breakers academy programme under coach Judd Flavell, who also coaches the New Zealand junior men's team.

"Judd has been amazing, ever since I started three years ago, I came in and I was just a big kid, didn't really know how to play basketball but my mum played and I guess I have good genes. But he has taught me so much and helped me develop as a basketballer and as a person, I owe him so much."

Freeman has come through North Harbour rep teams from a young age and New Zealand age group teams, and the Junior Tall Blacks and leaves for Oklahoma on January 4.

"I have been involved with the Breakers and North Harbour rep teams since under 13s, all of which has helped my progress tremendously. Dave McKay has been my individual coach pretty much my whole life and has helped me become the player I am and deserves a great deal of credit while on the strength and conditioning side Steve Buckley at FxV has been great, plus of course my parents who have made every possibility a reality for me."

Timmins has come through the system in the South Island, playing for New Zealand age group teams and emerging from the Otago Nuggets after being their youngest ever franchise player at 15 years old, and then the Canterbury Rams NBL teams while also leading Otago Boys High to success before his move to Christchurch.

Tall Blacks head coach Paul Henare spoke of the value in young players seeing a pathway to the top.

"I am not sure people understand just how good some of these junior players are, boys and girls. Basketball is truly an international game, those of us in the game live and breathe it and know how big it is but I am not sure the average Kiwi understands that and how well respected we are as a basketball nation and how we are now viewed by the Colleges in the States.

"Most important though, whether through local Basketball Association programmes, the Breakers or BBNZ teams, is that young players and parents see basketball as a viable career pathway in sport, with the chance to continue their educations as well as going on to one day play for the Tall Blacks or Tall Ferns."

Recent under 18 3X3 success is also having positive spin off for the girls, with Krystal Leger-Walker and Kelcy Ballantyne from the 2015 NZ team receiving significant interest from division one colleges. Leger-Walker is making her first school visit in January next year to consider the options in front of her.